Evaluation of the Cittaslow Administrators to the Process of Cittaslow Participation and Sustainability

 Cittaslow Movement has developed rapidly around the world in recent years. Cittaslow movement is turning into an important tool for our cities to become sustainable destinations. In this context, cittaslow administrators, who are coordinators and stakeholders in the expansion of the movement, have great importance for the spread of the cittaslow movement and for its sustainability. The aim of this study is to reveal the assessments of cittaslow administrators regarding the destination and cittaslows in terms of cittaslows’ objectives, criteria, involvement process and sustainability by putting forth their profiles. The further aim of this study is to evaluate the factors prominent in the process of participation in the cittaslow movement, aspiring to conserve the original identity of the cities and to develop them in terms of the cittaslows’ administrators. In this study, by taking the opinions of the administrators in the process of their participation, supplying the compulsory conditions which are required and revealing the contributions which the movement will make, identifying the similarities and the differences between the administrators has been aimed. In the study, as a data collection tool, the questionnaire technique was used. 

Within the scope of the study, the data collection instrument was developed in line with the related literature and with expert opinions. The population of this study included directors of cittaslows. The questionnaires were applied to all Cittaslow administrators (167 administrators), and the feedback was returned from 

70 administrators. In addition to the descriptive statistics; Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used for the analysis of the obtained data, and the profiles of cittaslow administrators were determined. The objectives of cittaslows were classified according to their severity, and their criteria were classified in accordance with their degree of difficulty by the administrators. Evaluation of administrators regarding involvement in cittaslow movement was identified, and contribution of cittaslows to sustainability and the sustainability of the destination were evaluated by the directors. Finally, the conclusions and the implications were discussed in detail on the basis of the research findings. In addition, the contributions of the study to the literature were mentioned, and related suggestions were put forward to develop cittaslow movement.